Speculation a “Facebook phone” will launch Thursday has been fuelled by online reports and photos. Others expect a more integrated operating system.

Facebook will dive deeper into the mobile world Thursday, when the company announces a “new home on Android.”

Rampant speculation that the social media giant is launching a “Facebook phone” has been fuelled online this week by nameless sources and mysterious photos. Other observers expect an operating system that integrates Facebook without launching an app, rather than a branded phone.

No matter the specifics, analysts say the announcement will be a crucial step for the company, which began being publicly traded almost a year ago.

“It’s very critical for them to get it right . . . to come out with something compelling that puts Facebook front and centre in the mobile world,” said independent wireless analyst Chetan Sharma, who thinks it’s likely the company will introduce software running a home screen or “launcher” with quick access to Facebook features and notifications, on a phone made by HTC Corp.

“It might be a Facebook phone in the sense that Nexus was a Google phone,” Sharma said. “That makes more sense than focusing on, model by model, having a Facebook phone and six months down the road releasing another.”

Facebook has remained tight-lipped other than sending out invitations to its California headquarters for Thursday at 10 a.m. PT, to “come see our new home on Android.”

But founder Mark Zuckerberg himself told investors in January that he wanted to expand how 680 million users access Facebook on phones each month.

“The next thing we’re going to do is get really good at building new mobile-first experiences. That’s going to be a big theme for us this year,” Zuckerberg said, specifically saying the company wouldn’t build a phone.

In Toronto, IDC Canada mobility analyst Krista Napier was awaiting the smartphone-related news. “As these become the devices that we’re reaching for most often, it would make sense that the things we’re accessing all the time are right there,” she said. “Not necessarily everybody uses Facebook, so that won’t necessarily appeal to everyone.”

It’s important that devices aren’t overly dedicated to the social network, said mobile researcher Geoff Blaber at CCS Insight. He pointed to short-lived HTC Salsa and ChaCha models, which both had Facebook buttons.

“They weren’t particularly successful because they didn’t add any value,” Blaber said. “Whatever they deliver, there’s got to be a tangible benefit to the consumer.”

Faced with other competition from other social media companies, Facebook needs to add engagement to increase and retain its more than one billion active monthly users, Blaber said.

“There’s always this very, very difficult balancing act that they face, between adding value to the consumer . . . and introducing new, fresh monetization opportunities,” he said.

He said a challenge with a Facebook-focused operating system would be allowing easier access to features, including messages, without bombarding users with advertisements.

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